Avalon Bay Granted Fewer Parking Spaces Downtown

The Planning and Zoning Commission recently gave Avalon Bay Communities Inc. the green light to reduce the number of parking spots at its proposed 250-unit apartment complex planned for downtown.

The commission, at its June 1 meeting, unanimously voted in favor of reducing the parking spaces in the parking garage that’s being proposed from 445 spaces to 375 spaces.

The commission approved Avalon’s initial development project, dubbed Radcliff Park, back in 2008. The approval called for two parking spaces per housing unit.

Last week, however, Grant Jaber, Avalon’s development director, requested a reduction in the parking spaces from two to 1.5 spaces per unit.

Jaber explained that out of the 250 apartments, 60 percent of them are slated to be one-bedroom units, thus dictating a lower amount of necessary parking spaces for the garage.

Jaber said reducing the spaces would result in modifying the proposed parking garage from six levels to five, which would eliminate a total of 70 parking spaces.

He said comprehensive parking studies by the Cheshire firm of Milone and MacBroom completed at several other similar Avalon developments around the state are proof that the 1.5 parking spaces per unit are more than sufficient. For example, at Avalon apartment complexes in Milford, Orange and Stamford, parking spaces range from 1.14 spaces per unit to 1.5, which Jaber said have worked well at those developments.

Jaber also pointed out to the commission that their own regulations for multi-family dwellings are 1.5 parking spaces per unit.

While parking downtown has always been at a premium, Jaber gave assurances that should the need for additional parking spaces arise at Radcliff Park, Avalon would be able to add another 22 spaces onsite, and possibly more in an adjacent proposed retail area.

Some residents, however, including those living in the nearby Birmingham apartment complex, expressed opposition to the commission agreeing to the reduced number of parking spaces.

Rebecca Twombly said Canal Street, even without the coming 250-unit Avalon complex, is already cramped and congested. Twombly said she surveyed 66 Birmingham residents, and learned they have a total of 109 cars. And with 103 apartments at the Birmingham, Twombly said there should be at least 175 parking spaces for residents, when in reality, there are only 122 spaces, she said.

Commissioner Joan Flannery raised concerns that with the bad economy, she fears that more and more people will be sharing one-bedroom apartments, resulting in more cars, and fewer spaces.

Commission Chairman Ruth Parkins said she recently visited one of Avalon’s developments in Milford, and after speaking with some residents about parking, learned there were really no significant issues with it.

Construction at the downtown Shelton site is slated to get underway in August.